Precision engineering from Emilia-Romagna

10.12.2012

Thanks to a consistent program of investment in high-end production technology and quality control, the Italian medium-range company FERRARI TECHNOLOGY has achieved a top position as a supplier of precision mechanics.

Emilia-Romagna - the name has most people thinking of good food and wine, but not about precision engineering and machining or medical technology. But this is just where the medium-sized firm FERRARI TECHNOLOGY has its headquarters. Director Guiseppe Ferrari and his 18-headed team are in the privileged position of being suppliers of high-end products to the motor sport sector. This kind of market placement is not easy to achieve: As early as the nineteen-nineties the decision was taken to move from being a run-of-the-mill supplier of turned and milled parts to a highly specialized, highest quality machining technology service provider - which proved to be a gateway to a successful future.

The right choice

With the purchase of a HERMLE C 800 in 1996 the company entered the world of 5-axis technology - at a stroke. This investment was the means to gain the confidence of the racing vehicle manufacturers - especially in the F1 range - because HERMLE machines are used throughout the sector on account of their high quality. Today, FERRARI TECHNOLOGY develops and produces a wide range of parts, working with high-performance materials such as special aluminum, titanium, stainless and special steels. The prototypes and low volume series (1-150 pieces) are generally used in the racing, aeronautics, packaging or biomedical sectors.

"We are a multi-material specialist with comprehensive know-how for all 5-axis tasks involving full and simultaneous machining," confirms Guiseppe Ferrari. "In the early days, we achieved the required degree of precision using extremely complicated, slow and expensive jig boring machines - today the new HERMLE machining centers are a perfect solution. They have helped us to achieve a new technological level." Currently, FERRARI TECHNOLOGY deploys four machining centers from HERMLE (2 x C 600 U, 1 x C 30 V and 1 x C 40 UP). The machining center purchased in the mid-nineteen-nineties has been followed by each new generation so as to be sure of maintaining the technological lead.

The "partial automation"

Just over a year ago a move to a higher level of automation for parts manufacturing was confirmed when the HERMLE C 40 UP most recently installed was equipped with a PW 160 pallet change system. "As a machined parts service provider we are frequently faced with extremely tight schedules, especially thanks to our motor racing customers. Also, the workpieces are becoming more and more complex, making the operational run-times longer. Therefore we decided in favor of an additional pallet change system, which means that we can manage the whole task with one clamping setup," explains Guiseppe Ferrari. With the 5-axis, high-performance C 40 UP machining center including pallet change system (for pallets of 400 x 400 mm) and the supplementary ZM 87 tool magazine it is now possible to process small and large workpieces completely. The decision in favor of this kind of "partial automation" was taken in view of the single part and low-volume manufacturing, especially as the system allows processing of seven workpieces individually and fully automatically.

Success factor flexibility

Not least on account of the broad usable RPM range of the motor spindle up to max. 18,000 rpm, the HSK A 63 tool-holding fixture as well as the touch probe and tool failure monitoring, flexibility in usage and machining quality can be ensured on a long-term basis. "That is a key issue in view of our extremely high-precision manufacturing, which also usually has to be carried out within a tight schedule. In combination with the very precisely constructed machine (three axes in the tool, two axes in the workpiece), we are in a position to provide highest manufacturing performance to our customers. And that is something that you can't order from a shop just round the corner," concludes a visibly satisfied Guiseppe Ferrari.